Regional press figures are set to speak at a conference on the future of the news media in Wales next week.
The University of South Wales is holding the one-day in conjunction with the National Union of Journalists bringing together journalists, academics, trades unionists and others from public life.
Among the speakers will be Western Mail chief reporter Martin Shipton, pictured left, Caerphilly Observer editor Richard Gurner and Rachel Howells, editor of the Port Talbot Magnet.
The event is a follow-up to the ‘Future of the press in Wales’ conference, which the university hosted in November 2011.
Robert Campbell, journalism lecturer at USW, said: “With press circulations falling, online revenues remaining elusive, and journalism facing ever tougher challenges in carrying out its democratic and community-building roles, this conference does not pretend to offer easy solution.
“Instead, it aims to establish an agenda for actions and targeted research to stimulate and inform the debate in the specific context of Wales.
“The event will comprise panel discussions, with audience questions, on themes including: the current news media landscape in Wales; revenue and ownership models, start-ups and subsidies; and the professional journalist’s role in an evolving landscape.”
The conference will run from 10am until 4pm on Saturday 7 November, at the university’s Atrium campus in Cardiff.
To book a place, click here.
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Isn’t it ironic that the majority of speakers are from a dying print medium yet will be facilitating and discussing the way forward for ‘ new media’
They’d be better off inviting some of the many successful new local magazine owners who are thriving all over the country in traditional paper strongholds and taking th big boys business, to talk about how they’ve succeeded in a landscape that so many old newsprint models are failing miserably in.
They’d learn a lot but might not want to hear some of the comments around poor service, complacency, tired papers, top heavy management structures, grim websites and weak content.
Smacks of them being ‘experts’ at the theory but who aren’t putting it into practice,
” There’s those that talk and those that do “
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The digital dark ages are about to descend!
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sorry,but isnt this all a little too little,a little too late?
these sort of discussions should hasve happened before the horse bolted,not after and lets be honest,its alright therorising about whats wrong and what needs doing but as the regional press groups have been complacement, and arrogant in many cases,enough to sit back and watch it slowly implode about them so i dont think this meeting of minds will bring about any change or solutions whatsoever.at best it will confirm what they already know ( or should know )
As the first commenter said,they would be far better speaking to those people who are actually making a success of regional publishing and who are doing itas opposed to those who now just have their noses pressd against the window watching the parade go by
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” this conference does not pretend to offer easy solution”
Perhaps HTFP would be good enough to publish the solutions this think tank/conference comes up with , I’m sure we’d all be interested to know
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